In The Diner
by Qzil
Summary: Castiel and Meg meet at a diner. All human AU.


Inspired by the 'why aren't there more random diner at one in the morning AUs?' post going around on tumblr.

* * *

"You know you have to order more than coffee if you wanna stay here, Cas," the waitress said, sliding the now-full mug toward him. Burying his face in his hands, Castiel refused to look at her.

"I know. Just give me a second."

The waitress rolled her eyes. "Sure, hon. But when I come back you better get something."

Ignoring her, Castiel drank his coffee and stared down at the table, refusing to look up even when the diner's bell rang, signaling another patron had strolled in.

"Heya, Clarence!" Castiel looked up to see a slim blonde wearing a red sweater sliding into the booth. Propping her chin in her hands, she beamed at him.

"Clarence?"

"Well, I'd say George, since you look all broody, but I think the name Clarence would suit you better," she said, snatching his menu from next to his coffee. "What's good here?"

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Castiel asked, taking his menu back.

"Oh, no one. Just a drifter," she answered. "I was passing through and saw a diner. The little places on the side of the road always have the best food, so I thought I'd try it, and you looked like you needed company. Plus, the locals always know what's good." Her eyes lit up as she studied the back of the menu. "They have a lot of pie."

"Best in the state," Castiel said.

"Guess that's what I'm getting, then." Flagging down the waitress, the woman smiled. "Two slices of apple pie for me and broody here, please."

"Comin' right up, dear," the waitress said, taking away Castiel's menu. "More coffee, Cas?"

"Please."

The woman watched the waitress trot off toward the kitchen before she beamed at him again. "I'm Meg."

"Castiel."

"That's a weird name. Your parents were really into the bible, huh?" Her laugh echoed through the empty diner, causing another waitress to look at her. "Or mine were really unoriginal. Whichever."

"What are you doing here?" he asked again.

"Like I said, I'm a drifter. I'm taking a cross-country road trip right now," she explained. "How about you? What's a local doing in a diner at one in the morning?"

"I'm not comfortable talking about it with a stranger."

"There are some things you can only tell a stranger at one o'clock in the morning," she pointed out. "You'll never see me again, so what's the harm?"

"My family and I are fighting," he said flatly. "I needed to get away to clear my head."

She whistled. "That sucks. What're you fighting about?"

"My job, and how I'm not married, and how I'm wasting my life living in the middle of nowhere America instead of being as successful as my brothers," he rambled, the words suddenly pouring from his mouth.

The waitress returned with their pie, plunking it down in front of them and saving Meg from answering. Castiel watched a blissful smile bloom on her face as she dug into it, moaning around her fork before chewing slowly.

"Fuck, that's the best pie I've had in ages. Maybe ever," she said, scooping up another forkful. Stopping when she saw he wasn't eating his pie, Meg pointed at him with her fork. "Eat your pie. It'll make you feel better."

"I doubt it."

"I promise. It's science." Leaning over, she poked him in the hand with her fork. "Eat."

Obeying, Castiel dug into his own slice of pie and actually found that he felt a little better with a full stomach. When she'd finished, Meg pulled two twenties from her pocket and slapped them on the table without looking.

"You shouldn't-" he started.

"I ordered the pie. I got it," she said, waving her hand at him as she stood up.

"It's too much."

"Not really. See ya around, Clarence. Good luck with the family."

"It's Castiel," he corrected weakly.

"Don't care," Meg shot over her shoulder as she strolled out of the small diner. He heard a motorcycle roar to life in the parking lot before silence fell again in the small room.

.

"Well, lookit who's here again. Another fight with the family?" Meg asked when Castiel walked into the diner.

"I'm meeting a friend for dinner," he said, glancing down at his watch. "I may be a little early."

"Have some pie with me, then," she ordered, grabbing Castiel's hand to pull him into the booth. "You pick. There's so much pie here I can't decide."

Castiel slid into the booth. "I thought you would've moved on by now."

"I decided to try every type of pie this diner has before I pick where to go next," she told him. "I tried to close my eyes and point, but I kept getting the apple and I tried that already. You pick."

"The cherry's good."

"Alright. Two slices of cherry then." Nodding, Meg shoved aside the menu and leaned forward. "So, Clarence, what do you do around here?"

"I teach English at the High School."

"Oh, what grade?"

"Seniors," he said, a note of mournfulness creeping into his voice.

"I was such a little shit in English class when I was in High School. My teacher hated me." Laughing, Meg placed their order as the waitress returned. "I liked that class, though. Books were always fun. Adventures, you know? I even liked the ones the other kids hated."

"We're doing Othello right now. The seniors are not at their best."

"It's the end of the year. I didn't give a shit about school during the last month, either," she pointed out. "I already knew I was graduating, so I didn't see the point."

"That's what frustrates me."

Meg shrugged. "They're kids. We're stupid."

They fell silent as the waitress returned with the pie, Meg digging into her slice like a starving woman. "I see you like the cherry."

"It's impossible for me to not like pie."

"My friend Dean said the same thing once." He hesitated, looking out the window for Dean's car. "Hey, what's your favorite book?"

"_The Call of the Wild_," she answered around a mouthful of pie. "Yours?"

"_The Five People You Meet In Heaven_."

Meg snorted. "You would."

Castiel fell silent and continued to eat his pie, enjoying the comfortable silence after a day attempting to teach. It lasted until Dean's car pulled into the parking lot, the Impala's headlights cutting through the darkness. "There's my friend."

"Oh, good. I'm done with my pie." Castiel put his hand over Meg's when she went to pay for the pie. "Dude, I got it."

"Let me. It's only polite," he insisted. "You paid last time."

"Well, if you insist. How can I say no to a cute guy treating me to pie?" Winking, Meg laughed as she slid out of the booth and Dean strolled in.

"What the Hell was that?" he asked, taking Meg's abandoned seat.

"I think I made a new friend."

.

"Oh, you look like you need a friend tonight."

Castiel looked up as Meg sat down across from him in what he was coming to think of as their usual booth. "I suppose so."

"I think something chocolate tonight. You need the cheer up, and it's a proven fact that chocolate makes you happy." Glancing down at the menu, Meg smiled. "Sweet, they have a chocolate custard."

"How many pies have you eaten here?"

"I tried the mixed berry, the strawberry, the blueberry, and the blackberry. I'm kinda done with berries for a bit," she admitted. "So, Clarence, what brings you back to this little piece of Heaven at one AM? Another fight with the family?"

"Shouting match. My mother told me not to call her for a while," he said softly. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out."

"That's rough."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to. I'm just here to eat pie."

Fishing a pen from her jacket pocket, Meg began doodling absentmindedly on her placemat until the waitress brought them their pie, raising her eyebrows at the flowers and eyes that decorated the paper.

"Can I ask you a question?" Castiel asked when they were almost finished.

"You just did, but go ahead."

"Why _The Call of the Wild_?"

Meg smiled down at the remaining pie on her plate. "My dad used to read it to me as a kid. _White Fang_, too. But I liked how _The Call of the Wild_ ended, with Buck going all feral and running free with the wolf pack. White Fang settling down just sounded boring."

"But peaceful."

"Who needs peaceful when you've got miles of open road ahead of you?" Meg argued, shoving away her plate. "Don't know where you're going or who you'll meet every single day. It's amazing." She slapped some money on the counter and hopped out of the booth. "C'mon."

"Where?"

"Just c'mon. You could use a bigger cheer-up than pie." Tugging him out of the diner, Meg pulled her keys from her jacket and swung onto her motorcycle. "Get on!"

"Shouldn't we be wearing helmets?"

"Safety is overrated when you're twenty-one and dumb and think you're going to live forever."

"You're only twenty one?"

Meg snorted. "And you're like, what; thirty-five and looking at my bike like it'll eat you? Stop being such a pansy."

"I'm only thirty-four!"

"Just get on the bike. I promise not to kill you." Grumbling, Castiel gingerly sat down behind her. "Now put your arms around my waist or you'll fall off."

"Where are we going?"

"Fuck if I know!" Meg shouted over the roar of the engine as she sped out of the parking lot.

Meg killed the motorcycle on a dirt road outside of town, laughing when Castiel slid off the bike on shaking legs and fell onto the dirt. "That was an experience."

"You see what I mean about the book?" she asked, lying on her back in the dirt next to him. "Why have a boring life in California when you can have this?"

"I see your point, but I like my boring life."

"Except for all the fighting, right?"

"Yes, except for that."

"Not that I care, but what're you gonna do?" she asked. Sitting up, Meg brushed some dirt off her back and cracked her neck.

"I don't know. Not talk to her for a while, I guess. Give her some time to cool off," Castiel said. "I'm not even angry. I'm just disappointed, I think. I'm tired of fighting with her over my choice to live quietly like I do and not get married yet."

"Believe me, it's a good thing you're not married. I won't feel bad about this. Well, I wouldn't feel bad about it, anyway, but at least you won't feel bad."

Castiel was about to ask what she meant when Meg leaned over and kissed him, knocking him back into the dirt as she moved to straddle his waist.

"I'm thirty-four!" he yelped, pushing her away by her shoulders.

"I don't know if you picked up on it yet, but I'm one of those stupid rich kids," she said, shrugging his hands away. "We're not known for our morals."

"You're too young for me."

"I don't want to date you. I just want to fuck you."

"Please just take me home."

"God, you sound like a teenage girl," Meg teased, climbing off of Castiel and onto her bike. "But okay, sure."

.

"I don't see why you're so angry," Dean said.

"She's twenty-one!" Castiel told his friend. "Not to mention that we don't really know anything about each other. It was wrong."

"Yeah, but did you like it?" Dean asked.

"Not the point," Castiel grumbled, cradling his cell phone between his head and shoulder as he reached for a can of soup to put in his cart. "I should not be talking about this in the grocery store."

"Dude, I saw that chick. If I wasn't married to Lisa I'd be on that in a heartbeat."

"You're disgusting."

"I have eyes."

"I'm hanging up now," Castiel said angrily as he turned down the frozen food isle.

"Well, this is spectacularly awkward." Stuffing his phone into his pocket, Castiel looked up and saw Meg closing one of the freezer doors, a TV dinner in her hand. Throwing it into her basket, she let the door slam shut and raised an eyebrow at him. "Heya, Clarence."

"Hello, Meg."

"Look, sorry about the whole attempted sex on the dirt road thing or whatever." Ignoring him, Meg reached into another freezer. "Oh, look, Oreo pie. Looks like I'm skipping the diner tonight for dessert. Hey, wanna come over and watch a shitty movie and eat some disgusting freezer pie?"

Castiel opened his mouth to refuse when Meg smiled at him and held up the brightly-colored cardboard box. "Sure."

He followed Meg back to her motel room, her bag stuffed into the small compartment of her motorcycle. "So, why the cross country road trip?" he asked as they sat on the small bed, the pie between them.

Meg shrugged and dug back into the pie. "Dad died a couple of months ago and I needed to get away. Dropped out of college, bought a bike, and just went. My older brother calls me every once in a while to try to tell me to come home. But I wanna get to California before that happens."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged again. "We weren't that close anymore at the end, but he never would've let me do this. It was all go to college, find a rich husband, get married, and have more rich babies to cause problems and suck up money. I wanted to get out and do my own thing. Be Buck for a while before I have to be White Fang."

"White Fang ends up in California, though," he pointed out, dropping his plastic fork in the half-eaten pie.

"Ironic, I know," she said, her mouth twisting into a half-smile. "But it's a Hell of a lot warmer than the east coast, even if the food back there is better."

"I'm starting to think this whole trip is so you can eat."

"I'm not denying that. I had the best shoofly pie you'll ever eat back in Pennsylvania, and some damn good zeppolis at this little fair in New Jersey. I've had a bunch of different types of pie and seen a bunch of museums. I went camping for the first time in my life! Dad used to take us hunting, but we always stayed at a nice lodge or something. Actually sleeping in the woods was an experience," she rambled. "It's fun."

"You're lucky you're young enough and well-off enough to do that. Drop everything and just take off."

"Oh, I know." Dropping her own fork in the silver pie plate, Meg leaned forward. "That was not as good as the diner's pie. That shit's definitely the best pie I've ever had, and like I said, I've had a lot of pie." She frowned and leaned back. "I shouldn't be telling you this. You could be a murderer or something."

"There are some things you can only tell a stranger."

Meg laughed, her dark hair falling forward to obscure her face as she doubled over on the bed. When she looked back up, her eyes shining and a smile on her face, Castiel automatically leaned forward and placed his hand behind her head. "Oh, hello. Gonna kiss me now?"

"You're observant."

"So I've been told." Meg shoved the pie off the bed, ignoring the way it splattered again the already-stained carpet. "C'mon, Clarence. Let's dance."

"Will you meet me tomorrow for pie?" he asked later when Meg showed him out. Wrapped in the scratchy sheet from the bed, she smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I don't usually make dates with the locals, but I'll make an exception for the pie."

.

They talked about their childhoods over pecan pie the next night, Meg telling him about trips to Europe and Canada and years at a private boarding school while he talked about growing up in the same town with six brothers and two sisters. She told him about traveling through the states on her motorcycle, stopping at fairs and roadside diners and sleeping in the woods under the stars. He told her about meeting Hester in High School and dating almost until they were out of college.

"Shit, she was your only girlfriend?" Meg asked around a mouthful of pecan pie, wrinkling her nose a little.

"Yes. I believed she was the love of my life until I learned that she was sleeping with a dentist a few towns over. His name is Garth, and a nice person from everything I've heard. They're married now with three children," he said.

"I don't even remember all my boyfriends. But, then, spoiled rich kid."

.

He told her about Dean over peach pie, about how his best friend had been a drifter like her, going on a road trip with his little brother after their father had died. "He only settled down when he met Lisa. After they got together he decided to stay. He went back to school, got a degree, and wound up teaching gym at my school."

"I always wanted to be a cop," Meg offered. "But daddy said it wasn't appropriate and I got ballet lessons and piano lessons instead. Fucker."

"You shouldn't speak ill of the dead."

"Why, what's the great Azazel Masters gonna do? Rise from his grave and shake his finger at me?" Meg shook her head. "I wouldn't put it past him, actually." Pushing away the remains of her pie, Meg pulled her menu closer and flipped it over to the back. "Huh. Only three pies left."

Castiel felt his heart skip a beat. "Does that mean you'll be leaving?"

"Yeah, soon," Meg said casually. "I've already been here three weeks lookin' around and eating at every place I can. It's time to go."

"You could try the cheesecake," he suggested jokingly. Meg lowered her menu and stared at him.

"Are you trying to make me stay a little longer?"

"Just a suggestion. You did say the locals always know what to eat. They make cheesecake here on Wednesdays, and it's pretty good."

"Does Wednesday happen to be the last day you need to be at that school?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll stay 'til then. We'll eat some cheesecake, celebrate a summer of freedom, and I'll head out in the morning. Nice and easy."

He swallowed; dread suddenly growing in his chest. "Nice and easy."

A smiled bloomed on Meg's face. "Good. How about we go for a ride? I've always wanted to have sex in a cornfield."

.

Castiel listened to her stories about growing up with one older brother while he told her what it was like to grow up with eight other siblings over key lime pie, Meg laughing when whipped cream stuck to his nose. She laughed even harder when she dragged him back to his house and waved a can of whipped cream at him, eyes darting suggestively toward his bedroom.

He followed her, biting his tongue when he wanted to say that she looked like an angel with the yellow light from the fridge shining around her in the dark room.

After, sticky and exhausted, he argued with her over different books he'd taught his students that year, laughing when Meg expressed distaste at most of them.

"You should go back to college," he suggested when Meg finished ranting about the Disney version of Bambi, stating she'd read the book as a child and liked it better.

"Fuck that. I should take off to Europe and backpack around there when I'm done with the US," she said, rolling over and shoving away the empty can of whipped cream. "Tom would never be able to find me then if I used my accounts he doesn't know about. Just leave a note and split for a year or three."

"That's responsible."

Meg smiled at him. "Spoiled rich kid, remember? I don't have to be responsible."

.

"Have you decided where to go yet?" Castiel asked, pulling his banana cream pie closer. Meg shrugged and leaned over to snatch a forkful from his piece, shoving aside her empty plate.

"Dunno yet. I figure I'll just stop when I get tired or run out of gas, I guess. Maybe I'll ride down and see the world's largest ball of twine, or something."

"Not going to stop at a fair somewhere and eat fried crickets or some other local food?" he teased.

"I'd joke about you growing a sense of humor, but I've already eaten fried crickets." She laughed when he gagged, pressing a hand over his mouth and shoving the rest of his pie toward her.

"That's disgusting."

"They weren't that bad." Eyes twinkling, Meg slid out of the booth and settled in next to him, pulling out her phone. "Smile."

"What?"

Holding her phone out at arm's length, Meg snapped a picture of the two of them. "Well, you look older than you are all confused like that. But that'll make Tom ten times angrier when I show him this. Oh, he's gonna wanna kill you. Good memory, though. This is definitely the most fun place I've been."

.

"So what if she's leaving? You've known her for about three weeks, man," Dean pointed out.

"I don't know, Dean. I enjoy spending time with her," Castiel said into the phone, staring down at the piece of coconut cream pie in front of him.

"You haven't been interested in any girl since Hester left you, and then all of the sudden one appears out of the blue and you're acting like you wanna share your life with her. Don't you think that's weird?" he asked.

"I enjoy talking with her and all of the other things we do," Castiel argued. "It's nice to have a friend outside of you and Sam."

"She's too young for you, man, you said so yourself!"

"I know." Running his hand over his face, Castiel leaned his head back against the booth. "I'm not her Weedon Scott."

"I don't know what that means, but she's not your manic pixie dream girl or whatever, Cas. She's just another chick who'll be leaving in a few days."

"Strangely, I don't want her to."

"Don't want who to do what?" Meg asked, sliding into the booth.

"Dean, I have to go." Ignoring his friend's protests, Castiel slammed his phone shut and pushed a second slice of pie toward her. "Nothing."

"Sure, whatever." Digging into the pie, Meg continued to stare at him. "How was graduation and all that crap?"

"Typical."

Meg opened her mouth to answer when the shrill ringing of a cell phone filled the small diner. Apologizing, Meg wrinkled her nose and pulled the smartphone up to her ear. "Hey, Tom. No, I'm not coming home yet." Rolling her eyes at Castiel, she set her fork down and leaned back in the booth. "Somewhere out west. No, I'm not telling you the town. Jesus fucking Christ, Tom, I'm an adult. I can handle myself. Yes, I'm with someone." She paused again, glaring angrily at the wall over Castiel's head. "Will you just shut up? I'm not going to get murdered or pregnant or anything. This one's a nice guy. English teacher in small-town America. Look, I'm hanging up. I just want to eat my pie in peace."

Sighing, Meg slammed the phone on the table and dug back into her pie, shoving bite after bite into her mouth as she muttered curses under her breath.

"Your family, too?"

"Fucking brothers. He thinks just because I'm twenty-one and a girl that I can't take care of myself."

"He's worried about you."

Meg glared at him. "Just like yours is about you, living alone and unmarried at thirty-four. What the fuck do you even do over the summer anyway if you haven't got a wife and kids?"

Ignoring her anger, Castiel calmly took a bite of his pie. "Fishing, mostly."

"Jesus, you're boring."

"You could do it with me. Stay," he blurted suddenly. Meg froze with her fork halfway to her mouth and slowly lowered it.

"I don't follow."

"Stop moving. Stay."

"I'm not you friend Dean," she said. "A nice fuck and some good food isn't enough to keep me somewhere long-term. I have to move." Abandoning her pie, Meg stood up and threw her jacket over her shoulder. "I should've known better than to do this. I should've seen you were getting attached and booked it."

"I hoped you enjoyed spending time with me as much as I enjoy spending time with you. I thought you might like to get to know each other better."

Her eyes softened. "That doesn't mean I want to stay. I need to move, Castiel. I'm not ready to be White Fang yet."

"I understand. Will I still see you tomorrow for cheesecake?"

"No. Look, I'll call you."

.

Hearing the doorbell, Castiel groaned and rolled over, trying to focus on his alarm clock. Groaning again as he read the fuzzy numbers, Castiel finally rolled out of bed and padded toward the door, groaning when he saw Meg standing on the porch, poised to ring the doorbell again. "Meg, what are you doing? It's three AM!"

"Shut up and pack a duffle," she ordered, strolling into his house and slamming the door shut. "Now."

"What?"

"You heard me. C'mon. We're leaving."

"Leaving? Meg, you're not making sense. I can't just pack up and leave!"

"Why?" she asked innocently. "Your job's over, you don't have a wife, you don't have kids, and you have nothing to do all summer. You want me to stay and I want to run. Compromise."

"I can't just leave. I have responsibilities!"

"Just pack. We'll take my bike and ditch it along the way for a real car so we can switch off driving, but I'm not leaving it here. Let's go to LA and get a churro from a street vendor." Opening the door to his bedroom, Meg pulled open his drawers and began grabbing clothes. "Bring a toothbrush, too."

"Meg!"

She stopped packing and smiled at him. "C'mon, Clarence. You've been stuck in a little town your whole life. I figured it out. _You're _Buck. You need to go out and get a little wild. If you really don't want to come, then don't, but I think you do. So live a little and come be my trophy boyfriend for the summer."

He stared at her for a moment before he moved, running to the bathroom to grab his toothbrush and throw it into the duffle bag. "This is a bad idea."

"Extremely."

"I shouldn't be doing this."

"Probably not."

Stripping out of his pajama pants, Castiel reached over for his usual suit pants, stopping when Meg laughed and threw a pair of jeans at him. "I'll even pick you up a helmet."

"Do we have time for cheesecake first?" he asked, swinging onto her bike after locking his house up and leaving a message for Dean.

She smirked. "I'm always up for dessert." The bike roared to life under them as Meg raced down the street, tipping her head back and letting out an imitation wolf howl. "C'mon, Clarence! Let it out!"

"I'm too old for that."

"Indulge me." Meg let out another howl as they blew through a light and headed toward the diner.

Laughing, Castiel obeyed.


End file.
